The present invention relates in general to methods and devices for moving non-ambulatory patients to and from hospital beds.
In particular it relates to a roll coach having a tiltable bunk for safe transfer of a patient from a bed to said bunk and back again, after the patient having been subjected to various treatments, such as surgery, therapy, hygienic care, toilet etc.
For the purposes of the present application the term xe2x80x9cbunkxe2x80x9d means a resting surface that is not a proper bed, but which is suitable for temporary placement of a patient for transport or treatment purposes.
In the medical care of non-ambulatory patients, the process of moving a patient from a bed and to another means for transport, basically involves the use of two different methods: moving by lifting, or moving by dragging the patient off the bed.
For lifting purposes it is required to install electrical lifting means, commonly mounted in the ceiling, or a portable lifting carriage, and a lifting or hoisting sling. This method would often require two medical staff, and it can be very trying for both the staff and for the patient, especially if the patient only may be moved in a horizontal position, such as when there is a spinal injury or other internal damage requiring careful handling of the patient.
When the patient is to be dragged off the bed and onto a temporary bunk or roll coach, the patient must be moved from the center of the bed to the edge of the bed before the transfer to the bunk may be made. often there is present a small gap or space between the mattress of the bed and the roll coach. This gap may cause problems in the transfer from bed to bunk.
Frequently it is required to move the patient from the bed to a wheel-chair. This requires that the patient be moved to the side of the bed, the legs must be brought over the edge, and the patient must be raised to a sitting position. Thereafter a sideways movement must take place, possibly by use of a special gliding plate, temporarily provided between the bed and the wheel-chair.
In order to facilitate the sideways movement to the edge of the bed, there has recently been introduced glide mats, which consist of a sheet of fabric having two opposite edges attached to each other so as to form a tube like configuration having a low friction interior surface. The tubelike glide mat is placed slightly underneath the patient in a flat configuration, and when the patient is dragged carefully to the side, the upper side of the glide mat will form a sheet gliding on the lower portion, by virtue of its low friction interior surface.
When the patient is to be replaced in the bed from the bunk after having beet treated, it may be very difficult and sometimes impossible to push the patient back onto the bed. The gap mentioned above may cause problems and discomfort also in this case. Finally, the patient will end up on the edge of this bed after having been transferred from the bunk, and must be pushed further towards the middle of the bed, in order to take a comfortable position in the bed. Of course the use of a glide mat will facilitate also the placing of the patient onto the bed.
A requirement in the care of non-ambulatory patients is that they must be allowed to stand up at least once a day during 15-20 minutes. Unless this therapy is carried out, the patient will suffer complications in terms of i.a. decalcification of the skeleton, heart insufficiency, muscle atrophy, problems with the peristalsis, and balance problems.
Normally the procedure used today for the kind of therapy outlined above is to move the patient from the bed to a wheel-chair in order to transport the patient to the location in the hospital where therapy equipment is available.
The patient is then transferred from the wheel-chair onto a special tiltable bunk or coach, where the patient may be raised to an upright position, while still resting against the bunk.
After the therapy the patient must again be transferred to the wheel-chair, transported back to the ward, where he/she finally is transferred onto the bed. Thus, this simple therapy requires a substantial amount of work and inconvenience for the staff and patient.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,752 there is disclosed an apparatus for lifting, arranging and/or transporting non-ambulatory patients. It includes a mobile support and an elongated element mounted thereon, to serve as a temporary bunk for a patient to be moved. The operation of the apparatus according to this patent is very similar to a fork-lift device. It provides three different movements, raising, lowering and tilting. By tilting the frame on which the bunk is mounted, the bunk is positioned alongside of a patient, who is then placed on the bunk.
In practical use of this kind of equipment a problem is that the bunk will not be inserted underneath the patient, instead the bunk pushes the patient sideways. Also, a dragging action is required in order to bring the patient onto the bunk.
In DE-36 19 837 there is disclosed a lifting device for non-ambulatory patients. It comprises a carrying frame with a conveyor belt system that is intended to engage on the patient""s body, and to pull it onto the carrying frame. The frame is tiltable and may be raised or lowered. The device according to this disclosure is extremely complex, and therefore expensive to manufacture.
The present invention therefore sets out to provide a method and devices for easy and comfortable transfer of patients to and from hospital beds, without strain to medical staff or patients, wherein the drawbacks of the prior art devices are overcome. The bunk itself may be used for the necessary therapy, as outlined above, which can thus be performed in the ward.
The device according to the invention generally comprises a low frame provided with a lifting means to which a thin bunk is connected such that it may be tilted sideways around a horizontal axis, parallel to the bunk. The angular settings are made by means of linear actuators.
Thus, means are provided for bringing the patient lying on the bunk in and over the center of the bed, and thereafter the bunk is tilted slowly sideways towards the bed surface. The patient then slides down onto the bed, whereafter the bunk is pulled back. The patient is now located essentially in the center of the bed and need not be moved further. In particular, the lifting mechanism is mounted to the frame at a point on the longitudinal centerline of the frame. In this way easy access to beds may be had on both sides of the bunk, without having to turn the bunk 180xc2x0.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow.